Newcastle reignite bid to sign James Trafford - Craig Hope

Newcastle United have tried twice already to sign England goalkeeper James Trafford, and it looks like they're not done yet.

It was reported earlier this season that Newcastle had finally given up on signing the 23-year-old after twice trying and failing to bring him to St James' Park.

In 2024, Newcastle didn't have the financial power to pull off the move after narrowly escaping sanctions for breaching PSR. Additionally, Paul Mitchell managed to tick off Burnley in negotiations. Last year, when everything pointed towards the Magpies finally getting their man, Trafford opted to return to Manchester City.

Trafford's move back to City quickly turned sour, however, when the club went out and signed Gianluigi Donnarumma as the first-choice keeper. Trafford has since made it pretty clear that he's not happy about the situation and feels he should be a No.1.

James Trafford has sacked his agency

Craig Hope has confirmed in his Newcastle Confidential column for the Daily Mail that Newcastle are once again considering a move for the Cumbrian in the summer, but they are also keeping their options open.

After being burnt last year, it makes sense that Newcastle aren't putting all its eggs in one basket, but it sounds like Trafford is still a high priority, and would cost £35-40m. 

It won't be an easy move to do, however, as there are plenty of other clubs keen on the former Burnley man. Additionally, Manchester City managed to beat Newcastle to his signing last summer by offering almost twice as much in wages as he'd agreed with Newcastle.

Hope also reports that Trafford has parted ways with the agency that brokered his move to Man City last year after feeling he was misled, expecting to return as their number one choice between the sticks.

Newcastle have strong alternatives in mind

Newcastle still retain interest in Brighton's Bart Verbruggen, RC Lens' Robin Risser and Borussia Dortmund's Gregor Kobel.

It's expected that Kobel is more likely to remain at Dortmund, however. That one never really felt like a realistic target, though, in fairness.

We'd be ecstatic if we could finally land James Trafford, but we certainly wouldn't be too disappointed with Verbruggen. We've not seen much of Robin Risser, but by all accounts, the 21-year-old is a very exciting young talent, so we wouldn't be opposed to landing him either.